Like N4N, three of four Boston Globe sportswriters are picking the Sox to win the AL East (and the whole enchilada, as well). Only Dan Shaughnessy thinks otherwise, ticketing the Blue Jays (???) to upset the NY-Boston hegemony.

Meanwhile, Major League Baseball has again ruled that Johnny Pesky, due to the number of coaches, can't sit in the Sox dugout during games.

Providence Mayor David N. Cicilline is thought to be closing a very strong quarter of fund-raising. And while we know it takes considerable money to run for mayor, it takes a lot more to run for governor.

N4N tends to agree with those who say the 2003 Station fire disaster caused an overreaction in new laws and regulation. Representatives Joseph Trillo (R-Warwick) and Peter Ginaitt (D-Warwick) discuss this topic during an appearance Sunday on Newsmakers, broadcast at 5:30 AM on Channel 12 and at 10 AM on Fox 64. Also, Providence City Councilman Miguel Luna appears on the show to discuss immigration and his proposal for making Providence a sanctuary city.

Relatively few Rhode Islanders would be able to identify the name of the Providence Journal's general manager, but Mark Ryan is a very influential guy on Fountain Street and he's positioned to have a big impact on the newspaper's future. I profile him in this week's Phoenix:

Some of Ryan’s admirers tab the one-time Irish Catholic kid from Warwick as a born-and-bred Rhode Islander — a description they would never bestow on the Journal’s former Yankee owners, even though they were among the state’s founding Five Families.

Having had unprecedened access while preparing his excellent book about the Sox, Seth Mnookin knows of what he speaks when he writes about the team. He offers an upbeat take on the Sox in Boston magazine.

One day after tabbing the boys to win the AL East, my ingrained New England pessimism is creeping back. Varitek is showing worrisome signs of having forgotten how to hit.

Thanks to the Pat Tillman charade, we know we can trust our military to deliver the hard, honest facts about deaths in combat. P&J now wish to alert you to a presentation pointing out that while the body count of US troops has climbed above 3200 (never mind those malingering wounded in action, more than 200,000 of our best and bravest), there is a local chance to get a tally on Iraqi casualties.

It's not exactly news that Governor Carcieri is a more enthusiastic supporter of President George W. Bush than, say, Linc Chafee. Then again, the governor's backing for the war seemed to noticeably cool a bit over the last year or so. Now, Charlie Bakst tells us that Carcieri [is] higher than ever on Bush.

A recent dinner with the president and his wife seems to have ramped up the governor's outlook about the president.

State Treasurer Frank Caprio faces the politically enviable task of giving away beaucoup bucks in unclaimed property. He stoppped by the set of Newsmakers to talk this up, so I asked if, as many suspect, he will be a Democratic gubernatorial candidate in 2010. To the surprise of no one, he wouldn't rule anything out or count himself in.

Joann Seddon has apparently decided to close the Decatur rather than face eviction. I spent a fair amount of time there in its early years, playing on the initial kickball team and relishing the polyglot mix of inhabitants, so I'm sorry to see it go. Here are the details, as contained in an e-mail sent out by supporters of the popular West Side bar:

Following media writer Andy Smith's reassignment to writing about jobs for an advertising supplement, the Providence Journal is dispatching assistant features editor Alan Rosenberg to oversee the ProJo's South County bureau. Rosenberg, who plays an important role in coordinating the Journal's arts and entertainment coverage, will reportedly not be replaced in his current post.

The Providene Journal's estimable Kathy Gregg had a great story yesterday about the Carcieri administration's growing use of temporary staffers. One suspects that if legislative Democrats offered as few answers on this, the governor would be all over them.

Still, isn't it kind of fascinating that the ProJo's editorial board has been ahead of its reporters in taking Carcieri to task?

WPRI's Tim White reported last night that a Providence police officer faces State Police questioning in connection with a rape that is alleged to have taken place at the district 2 sub-station. The victim is said to be a 19-year-old Massachusetts woman who was turned away from the Platforms nightclub. The most chilling part, if the accusation is indeed accurate, is how the officer in question responded to take a crime report from the victim.